From

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Kids Researcher's Log August 8 (Sun) & 9 (Mon) #Programming

We held the “Summer Camp 2021 STEAM Workshop: Creating Colors with Programming and Electronic Circuits! Let’s Make Glowing Products!” in Takeshiba! 🏠💻

https://www.canvas.ws/kenkyujo/report/2021080809-steam.php

Just as you mix colors with paint, how can you create "colors" using programming and electronic circuits? Let’s use text-based programming to create glowing products that express the beauty and feelings “you imagine”! What kind of light will emerge?What feelings will you give shape to?
We welcomed guest instructor Kazuyasu Komiya (michica), and 15 students—ranging from third graders to first-year middle schoolers—gathered for the workshop.

[Day 1] “Arduino! Circuit Board! Light!”
Did you know you can represent colors with numbers? Just like mixing paints to create colors, how do you create colors in the digital world? Let’s start with the basics of Arduino: making an LED blink.What kind of lighting effect is beautiful? We used programming to express the “beautiful” lighting effects as we envisioned them.

●The Children’s Activities
: The children spent their time exploring in their own ways—some focused intently on creating colors by finely adjusting the color tones as they changed the RGB values;
others tried out several lighting patterns (programs) prepared by Ms. Komiya; and still others programmed their own original lighting effects, consulting with Ms. Komiya as they went, all while experimenting with text-based programming for the first time.

[Day 2] “Let’s Make Glowing Products That Express Emotions!”
We’ll attach switches to the circuit boards we made on Day 1 and create glowing products that represent various emotions. Press this switch for a “thrill” light, press that switch for a “surprise” light, and so on. Once we’ve gotten this far, we’ll have free creation time.You can build a pet robot that conveys emotions through light, or create a stylish lamp to put in your room. What kind of light will you create? What emotions will you bring to life?

●The Children’s Reactions
: I got the impression that for many children, the addition of craft materials instantly sparked a “I want to make this!” reaction.
Depending on the type of paper, the way the light from the LEDs on the circuit board reflected changed; some tried reflecting it off water in a plastic bottle, while others used a hole punch to make holes in paper cups, cut slits in them, or crumpled up tracing paper.
One of the appealing aspects was how the appearance of the LED light changed dramatically just by choosing different materials or making small adjustments.
On the other hand, there were also children who quietly and steadily continued working on their programs, meticulously focusing on exactly how the seven LEDs would light up.

At the end, when we turned off the lights in the room to view everyone’s artwork, a variety of lights and colors filled the space, creating a soothing atmosphere that made us gaze at it in a daze.

Thank you for the past two days!
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for an overview of this workshop: https://www.canvas.ws/kenkyujo/laboratory/sc2021steam.php